DECEMBER 2018 RELEASE: Douglas SBD-3 ""Dauntless"" BuNo 3315, Black 16 of Scouting 71,VS-71 USS Wasp (CV-7), August 1942 1/32 Die Cast Model. NOTE DISPLAY STAND WILL NOT BE INCLUDED BUT CAN BE PURCHASED BUT VERY LIMITED QTYS ARE LEFT.

NOVEMBER 2018 RELEASE: Dornier Do17Z-10 Kauz R4+AK, I/NJG.2, Erich Jung, Gilze-Rijen airfield, Holland, October 1940, 1:72nd Scale. As the most heavily produced version of the Luftwaffe’s distinctive ‘Flying Pencil’, the Dornier Do17Z would see plenty of action during WWII, including several roles for which the aircraft was not initially intended. Almost obsolete by the time of the Battle of Britain, this ungainly looking bomber was also rather surprisingly pressed into service as a heavy night fighter, as the Luftwaffe tried to establish an effective force to repel the growing number of RAF raids targeting German cities. Contesting a deadly game of nocturnal cat and mouse, the aircraft of l/NJG.2 represented a specialist unit mounting long range night intruder missions over Britain, aiming to disrupt Bomber Command operations a little closer to their home bases, attacking bombers returning from their latest raid as they prepared to land. This sinister looking Do17Z-10 Kauz (Screech Owl) had been modified specifically for the task and was equipped with a nose mounted infra-red searchlight and detection system, along with a devastating array of weaponry designed to make short work of any British bomber it detected. Operating from the captured Dutch airfield at Gilze-Rijen, R4+AK was the mount of future night fighter ace Erich Jung, who ended the war with 28 nocturnal victories.

JANUARY 2019 RELEASE: McDonnell Douglas F/A-18E Super Hornet, VX-9 ( Vampires ), 2018. Residing one hundred and fifty miles North East of L.A. and nestled in the western most part of the Mojave Desert just outside of Ridgecrest, California is the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake (NAWS). China Lake’s VX-9 ( Vampires ) are charged with the testing and evaluation of weapons and their related systems in direct support of the United States Naval Aviation Fleet. The skilled Sailors and Marines of VX-9 are known for their ability to adapt to the dynamic testing environment that the aviation field provides., 1/72 Die Cast Model.

NOVEMBER 2018 RELEASE: Fokker D.VII (OAW) 4649/18 ‘Seven Swabians’ Wilhelm Scheutzel, Jasta 65, September 1918, 1:48th. Scale. Although the air war had turned inexorably in favour of the Allies by the late summer of 1918, the Luftstreitkrafte were still able to introduce an aircraft which is generally considered to be the finest fighter of the Great War, the Fokker D.VII. German pilots had a saying that this new fighter could make a mediocre pilot good and a good pilot into an ace, but unfortunately this was to prove a case of too little, too late. Fokker D.VII 4649/18 has to be considered one of the most flamboyantly decorated fighters of the Great War – adorning both sides of the aircraft’s fuselage, an elaborate scene featuring the ‘Seven Swabians’ from a famous Brothers Grimm German Fairy Tale must have made for an unusual sight. Brandishing an oversized spear which required all seven of the Swabians to carry, the story tells the farcical tale of this hapless group and their futile attempts to achieve greatness through performing great deeds. Showing an incredible level of artistic talent, the artwork was slightly different on both sides of the aircraft, however, despite all this decorative effort, this particular fighter was to achieve no more than two aerial victories during its short service career.

DECEMBER 2018 RELEASE: Sopwith F.1 Camel B6401 No.3 Squadron RNAS, Northern France, 1918, 1:48th. Scale. Canadian ace Lloyd Samuel Breadner can surely claim to have flown one of the most distinctive Sopwith Camels on the Western Front. Featuring two large circles on the top wing, his aircraft also included King of Diamonds playing cards on the top of the lower wings, the badge of the Canadian Expeditionary Force carried behind the cockpit and a striking red and white ‘rising sun’ on the tail and elevators - there can be no doubting that Flight Lieutenant Breadner wanted his German opponents to see him coming. Joining No.3 Squadron RNAS in 1917, Breadner initially flew the Sopwith Pup scout, in which he managed to score seven aerial victories, one of which was a mighty German Gotha bomber on 23rd April 1917, the first time a British fighter had brought down one of these behemoth’s over the Western Front. When his unit converted to the new Sopwith Camel, he went on to score a further three victories during September 1917, all of which were against Luftstreitkrafte Albatros D.V fighters. Surviving the war, Breadner became Air Officer Commanding-in Chief RCAF Overseas during WWII and on his retirement, was promoted to Air Chief Marshal – the first Canadian to hold this rank.

FEBRUARY 2017 RELEASE: Mk IV Tadpole Tank 1/72 Display Model. The Mark IV was first used by the British in mid-1917 at the Battle of Messines Ridge. Its initial use came as a nasty shock to the Germans which allowed the Allies to gain territory. Within time, however, the Germans developed wider trenches to prevent tanks from driving over them. For the British, the simplest solution was to lengthen the tank. Thus, the Tadpole was born. The problem was that, while it was sound in theory, it was much more complicated in practice: the track extensions suffered from weak connection points and consequently flexed too much, making turning very difficult. The Tadpole never made it past the prototype stage. Made of resin, this 1/72 scale display model replicates the Mk. IV Tadpole and features accurate weaponry, realistic tracks, authentic World War I markings, and a removable display base.